You know how I can tell that a
series has touched me more than I thought possible? Because while reading the
last book, I feel a sense of sadness. Lylah James is an evil genius and I’m
still not sure whether I love her for writing this series; or if I hate her for
writing this series. THAT is the testament of a good author. Miss James you
have inflicted a variety of emotions onto with this set that I’m nearly left
speechless.

I’m really not going to write a
ton for this review. The storyline is fantastic. While it did break my heart a
bit, I was so happy to finally get the story of Lyov and Maria. The title Blood
& Roses is perfect for this book. You get the beauty of it all with the
roses but with the breath-taking roses come the thorns that cause the blood.
There was pain and heartache. Blood & Roses prove, yet again, that love can
also be cruel. Miss James wrote a story that caused my heart to ache and tears
to flow. The writing is purely perfection. The story is… well, it’s a story
that you’ll wish wasn’t but still, you won’t be able to stop reading.

I received an ARC of this book with the
hope that I would leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a
review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that... my opinions.

Excerpt

“I am a mad
man, Maria. And you tested my patience today,” he hissed, his face coming so
close to mine and I shivered in his hold.

My hand
came up and gripped his wrist, not to dislodge his hold from my throat but to
keep it there. His eyes flared dangerously and I knew I was playing with fire.

“I am
sorry,” I whispered.

“No. I
don’t think you are.”

Shock
coursed through my body at his words and I flinched. The tears made another
appearance. I tried to deny his claim but the look on his face stopped me.

“Stand up,”
he ordered softly. But oh, it was every bit menacing.

My body was
his, my mind was his…and I obeyed instantly. There was no hesitation. His grip
released my throat and I stood up on shaking legs in front of Master.

“You broke
my rules, Maria. The rules are there to protect you and you consciously went
against me. I can’t keep you safe like this.”

My chin
wobbled against the effort to keep my tears at bay. I was ashamed. Embarrassed.
And wanted nothing more than for Lyov to just hold me.

But he was
angry. I’d made him angry.

“You know
what happens when you break one of my rules. You are aware of the
consequences,” he continued in the same harsh, rough voice.

I nodded
silently.

“Your
words,” he demanded. Each word hit me like a harsh lash against my fragile
skin. Lyov was brutal.

“Yes. I am
aware of the consequences, Master.” Maybe…just
maybe that was why I did it.

He stared
me down, his grey eyes icy. “Good. Undress then.”

I went to
quickly do as I was told, gripping my nightgown and starting to pull it over my
head but Lyov’s voice stopped me.

“Slowly,
Maria. Undress slowly for me.”

His words
sent a shiver down my body, all the way to my toes. My thighs clenched. Lyov
sat back lazily and watched me intently. Without taking his eyes off me, he
took a bottle of scotch from the small table beside him and poured some in a
glass.

His head
was cocked to the side as he brought the glass to his lips and sipped slowly. The
darkness in his eyes didn’t disappear. It was still there and more. Intense.
Furious. Dangerous.

There was a
fiery need inside of me. My hands trembled as I brought them up to unbutton my
nightgown. My fingers fumbled with the buttons and Lyov watched me with rapt
attention, an eyebrow raised mockingly.

Finally,
when all six buttons were open, I breathed out a sigh. My hands paused and my
stomach clenched. Slowly, like Lyov wanted me to, I pushed the nightgown down
my shoulders and then my arms before it pooled at my feet.

I was left
with only my bra and panties. The cold air caressed me and goosebumps rose on
my skin. I shivered even though Lyov’s heat was penetrating into my every pore.

His gaze
was filled with danger, brutality…and need.

At the thought
of Lyov being in complete control and seeing him exude dominance with just a
mere glance, or just a simple word—it had my senses in override.

Lylah James lives with her parents and younger brother somewhere in Canada. She uses all her spare time to write. If she is not studying, sleeping, writing or working – she can be found with her nose buried in a good romance book, preferably with a hot alpha male.

Writing is her passion. The voices in her head won’t stop and she believes they deserve to be heard and read. Lylah James writes about drool worthy and total alpha males, with strong and sweet heroines. She makes her readers cry – sob their eyes out, swoon, curse, rage and fall in love. Mostly known as the Queen of cliffhanger and the #evilauthorwithablacksoul, she likes to break her readers’ hearts and then mend them again.